This twin-cam '77 Celica was a Japanese-only treat-until its owner brought it to the States and restored it. We drive a true JDM legend

Feature Article from Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car

The term "JDM" has been badly abused in the decade since it's appeared on the scene. The letters stand for "Japanese Domestic Market" (i.e., not for export or American consumption); generally, the term referred to bits and pieces (an engine here, a close-ratio gearbox there, cool slate-gray Watanabe wheels), although occasionally a whole right-hand-drive car could slip through the cracks and fit the bill. It only took about a minute and a half for the growing American tuner community to lay claim to the term and apply it to any and all aftermarket parts unavailable in the U.S., no matter how inconsequential: shift knobs, kilometer-only speedometers, badging, and some of the more horrific body kits you've ever seen pop-riveted to a rocker panel. So when something genuinely JDM comes across the transom here in the Hemmings ivory towers, devoid of the widespread cosmetic frippery that has worked to make those initials both ubiquitous and meaningless, we need to take a closer look.

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This 1977 Celica LB2000GT is owned by Koji Yamaguchi of Hawaiian Gardens, California. Many in Southern California will know him (and his tireless and cheerful wife, Terry) as the motivating force behind the annual Japanese Classic Car Show, now organizing for its fourth year; long-time readers who have not experienced the show before may recall seeing this car, in unrestored form, as a sidebar in Issue #2 of Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car. He also runs Joy International, a Buena Park, California-based import/exporter of vintage Celica parts, as well as Katysnest.com, a Web site for vintage Japanese car enthusiasts.
Recall that the Celica liftback body style (known in Japan by the shorthand "LB") came to this country for the '76 model year, and only in GT trim, but the Celica LB was introduced in Japan for the 1973 model year. It was available in a whopping five trim levels, with varying states of economy and sport: ET, LT, ST, GT (the car you see here) and GTV, which is a GT with stiffer suspension and deleted air conditioning.
In the U.S., Toyota's rapidly growing cheap-and-cheerful reputation didn't leave a lot of room for performance frippery. In Japan, however, where a performance movement not far removed from the American muscle car scene was happening, sporting small engines were popping up in every manufacturer's lineup. Toyota's hot Celica GT and GTV models received the 2,000cc 18R-GU (available in home-market Celica, Carina, Corona and Celica Camry models), an engine that was never available in the U.S., yet in their day, they were among the world's best-selling twin-cam fours anywhere.
The basic R-series engine launched in 1953, predating Toyota's appearance in America; this engine family powered the first Crowns that came to this country. The 18R (18th generation of the engine) had grown to 2.0L (1,968cc) with an 88.5mm (3.48-in.) bore and 80mm (3.15-in.) stroke, putting out roughly 100hp, depending on application; it came standard in some U.S.-spec Celica models. The later 18R-C adds California emissions equipment.
But the 18R-G, introduced in 1972 with 9.7:1 compression and lacking smog controls, got people in a lather. That G suffix indicates an aluminum two-valve twin-cam cylinder head, with power outputs up to 140hp (sometimes reported as 145hp). Air injection for improved emissions created the 18R-GR in 1973, which dropped compression half a point and was rated at 130hp. The 1975 18R-GRU, saddled with a Japan-spec emissions system but a Yamaha aluminum head, was rated at 130hp, while the 18R-GU, adding non-rebuildable carburetors and electronic ignition, was rated at just 120hp. Technically, the engine in Koji's Celica was born an 18R-GU, but Solex 40mm carburetors have replaced the stock ones.
Elsewhere, there are other easy-to-tell differences between JDM and U.S.-spec. While '76-'77 JDM Celicas share taillamps with the American models, earlier cars do not: Earlier Celica LBs have four taillamps instead of three (known as "banana tail," thanks to the shape of the taillamps), and a rear-mounted gas flap. Emissions controls came into wide play in Japan in 1975, similar to the U.S. laws, so the pre-'75 cars are considered more desirable, even though body details (a scoop here, a grille texture there) differ only slightly and are easily swapped with earlier cars. (Koji tells of being embarrassed among his group of friends back in Japan that his car was "only" a '77, and swapping out the tail panel.) The small chrome bumpers (or "smile" bumpers, so known, thanks to their upturned ends) similar to the '71-'72 U.S. coupe's bumpers, were available on the liftback clear through to the end of the run, although the U.S.-spec bumpers were also in the Japanese catalog.
The fender-mounted mirrors were law in Japan through the mid-1980s, when they migrated to their rightful place at the A-pillar. The fender mirrors, often seen by Western eyes as tacked-on and extraneous, are now often added to even American-spec Celicas for that "JDM" look. Yet Koji tells stories of Japanese car enthusiast owners in the '80s who would remove the fender mirrors themselves, and get ticketed by police!
And, of course, the Japan-spec cars are right-hand drive; Koji's twin-cam GT features a 7,000-rpm tach and a 180-km/h speedometer. Minor trim differences, from a different script between the door and rear wheel to map pockets in the door panels of the Japan-spec car, abound. You could also get several different color interiors on the Japan-spec cars, although Koji's is basic, internationally available black. Point-by-point differences between American-spec and Japan-spec cars could fill volumes.
The car you see here was Koji's first car ever, purchased out of a Japanese junkyard in perfect working order in the late '80s. "Just lucky," he says with characteristic modesty.
As you see it here, it's fresh from a complete ground-up cosmetic and mechanical restoration. Koh Wada at KCR International rebuilt the engine to factory specifications save for a carb swap and a Danstoy Performance header that was custom-fabricated for Koji's car; it feeds a 2.5-inch stainless pipe and a Magnaflow muffler. Koji figures that the Solexes and the exhaust are good for an honest 140hp at the flywheel. The paint, returned to its stock sandy beige color, was handled by PJ Bonifacio Auto Design, the go-to shop in the SoCal tuner community for paint. Plenty of NOS trim and other parts were available from Toysport, Toygarage and the parts counter at Cabe Toyota in Long Beach, California. The period-cool 14-inch Hayashi Racing wheels, not stock but as ubiquitous to the Japanese car scene as Minilites are to Minis, and American Racing Torq-Thrusts are on American muscle cars, now ride Yokohama ES100 radials.
Koji was kind enough to let us take an extended blast into the desert to our photo location.
Twist the key on the right-hand side of the steering column, fire up the little four, and it settles into an eager mechanical chatter that fills the vinyl cabin. Set aside the stereotypes about Japanese cars and discover that the 18R-G series engine has as much personality as any European twin-cam. Idle is a slightly high 1,000 rpm, and despite the rorty noises, it's fairly smooth and doesn't seek to shake you from your moorings.
At drive time, the Celica was 99 percent complete; the drive to our location was the longest trip it had made since its completion just a couple of weeks earlier. Koji had mounted the battery on the floor behind the driver, so your taller-than-average driver, who can usually get comfortable in a Celica-sized space, has to sit a click or two closer than might otherwise be comfortable. (Koji fits fine, which is ultimately what matters....) From this vantage point, the tops of the tunneled gauges are impossible to see, and we'll discover some shifting issues later that an elongated leg could help resolve. We're also warned that the exhaust is a little bit loose, and that it'll bang around a little bit as we're driving.
Backing out of our parking space, the steering fought us every inch: Even with the fat Nardi wheel to grab onto, there was little you could do at parking speeds beyond throw your back into it and hope. (The wider-than-stock tires didn't help.) Luckily, the clutch was smooth and easy, though reverse, located down and to the far right, didn't leave a lot of room for our left leg between shifter and clutch.
Off to the freeway entrance ramp. The tach's redline suggested stopping at 7,000 rpm, and though we were sorely tempted, we resisted the urge to break someone's freshly rebuilt car and revved no higher than 6,000 rpm. Acceleration is linear, if not neck-snapping; that said, there was surprising torque on tap from 2,000 rpm--we're used to twin-cammers coming on-line 1,000 rpm or more north of that mark. The Magnaflow exhaust system came into its own around 3,000 rpm, competing with (and finally surpassing) the engine's own note in the cabin--a healthy, burbly buzz. We're a little torn regarding the acceleration: On the one hand, 130hp in a car that, with passenger and driver was surely 3,000 pounds, was something short of a JATO rocket. On the other, the twin-cam engine in its current state of tune offers 40 more horsepower than came in 22R-powered American variants at the time, and there isn't a car on the road that couldn't use another 40 horsepower.
The shifter was easy and smooth up and down the exchange, save for the 4-3 downshift; we couldn't get it to downshift into gear without grinding. (Koji says that he can't do it either; something is up with the synchro, he surmises.) More remarkable to us was, when confronted with long hills out on the open road, how little we needed to downshift into fourth to stay with traffic. Even in overdrive, the twin-cam Celica held its own. Only the din of the engine, and the door pressing against your right shoulder, would prevent you from wanting to take this on a longer trip.
At speeds above 15 miles an hour, you had a very firm sense of what the road was doing. Between the suspension and the road roar (4,000 rpm at 70 mph, thanks in part to the 3.90 rear gear), Koji's Celica felt more suited to around-town squirts than epic freeway journeys. Any freeway discomfort you might endure is more than made up for in the turns: At speed, the wheel frees up nicely to do as you tell it to, and the suspension lets you hunker down and eat up turns the way this light 2+2 is meant to. Doubtless, the 60-series Yokohamas, fatter and lower in profile than factory tires, aided mightily. This Celica is very much a point-and-shoot machine, yet felt solid and grounded at all times. We drove during the Santa Ana winds out here north of Los Angeles, and we barely felt the weather hitting the car at all--very little, if any, steering input was needed to correct things.
But over the furor and the cabin din, when you reach 100 km/h (about 62 mph), you hear what can only be described as a doorbell, tinkling gently through the cabin. It's the speedometer, warning you (well, suggesting with a whisper) that perhaps you're going just a tad too fast. It is anachronistic, hilarious, bewildering, completely out of character for this sporting machine, more than a little foreign, and utterly charming. All at once.
That's JDM for you.
Owner's Story
Back in the time, people called the Celica Liftback by the name "LB" (for "Lift Back"). I still call it LB. It has a taste of Boss Mustang around the hips, and a Camaro face. I always was looking for an American-style car when I was in high school. My guitar teacher found this car 18 years ago in Japan in a junkyard; at that time, the bottoms of the doors were rusty, but otherwise it ran great. I didn't like boxy cars, and I just fell in love when I first saw it. The body lines are just beautiful, the DOHC engine is cool, and it looks both American and "gentle Bosozoku." It was perfect for me!
--Koji Yamaguchi
The Celica is ready to be shown at car shows...but Koji is too chicken! He loves it so much, and he doesn't want anybody to touch his car!
--Terry Yamaguchi
What to Pay
Low: $7,000
Average: $9,000
High: $14,000
Club SceneToyota Owners and Restorers Clubwww.toyotaclub.org
Dues: free (web-based only)
Pros & ConsPros
Early Celica is rapidly becoming a modern classic
Surprising torque from a twin-cam
Mega-exclusive JDM cachet
Cons
DOHC-specific engine parts not easy to source stateside
Tiring ride over long stretches of road
Heavy low-speed steering
SpecificationsENGINE
Type DOHC inline-four, iron block and aluminum head, water-cooled
Displacement 1,968cc (120.1-cu.in.)
Bore x stroke 88.5 x 80mm
Compression ratio 8.5:1
Horsepower @ rpm 140 @ 6,400
Torque @ rpm 124.4-lbs.ft. @ 4,800
Main bearings 5
Fuel system two Solex 40 carburetors, mechanical pump
Lubrication system Gear-driven, internal pressure
Electrical system 12-volt
Exhaust system Danstoy header, 2½-inch pipe, Magnaflow muffler
TRANSMISSION
Type Toyota P51 five-speed manual transmission with overdrive
Ratios: 1st 3.52:1
2nd 2.05:1
3rd 1.39:1
4th 1.00:1
5th 0.858:1
Reverse 3.76:1
DIFFERENTIAL
Ratio 3.90:1
STEERING
Type Recirculating ball, full manual
Turns, lock-to-lock 4.2
Turning circle 32.8 feet
BRAKES
Type Hydraulic, power assist
Front 10.0-inch solid disc
Rear 9.0-inch drum
CHASSIS & BODY
Construction Unit body with subframes
Body style Two-door hatchback coupe
Layout Front engine, rear-wheel drive
SUSPENSION
Front Independent, Tokico MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-sway bar
Rear Rigid axle, four trailing links, Panhard rod, coil springs, Tokico telescoping shock absorbers
Wheels Hayashi Racing, cast-aluminum
Front/rear 14 x 6.5 inches/14 x 7 inches
Tires Yokohama ES100 steel-belted radials
Front/rear 195/60R14/205/60R14
WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Wheelbase 98.3 inches
Overall length 174.4 inches
Overall width 63.8 inches
Overall height 51 inches
Front track 52.6 inches
Rear track 51 inches
Curb weight 2,410 pounds
CAPACITIES
Crankcase 4.5 quarts
Cooling system 8.5 quarts
Fuel tank 15.3 gallons
Transmission 2.6 pints
CALCULATED DATA
Bhp per cc 0.071
Weight per bhp 17.21 pounds
Weight per c.i.d. 20.08 pounds
PERFORMANCE
¼ mile ET 16.1 seconds
Top speed 125 mph
Source: Nostalgic Hero magazine
PRICE
Base price 1,439,000 yen (1977)

This article originally appeared in the April, 2008 issue of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car.